Vernon Hills Student Picked As National Merit Recipient

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A Vernon Hills High student has been picked as a National Merit Scholarship recipient, National Merit officials announced Wednesday.

Madelyn Wright, of Vernon Hills, is among more than 2,900 winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among the finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution.

Wright plans to pursue a career in computer science while attending Purdue University.

Awards handed out range from $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the college financing the scholarship, according to a news release. An additional group of scholars will be announced in July, bringing the total number of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipients in the 2025 competition to more than 3,600.

This year, 146 higher education institutions are underwriting Merit Scholarship awards through the National Merit Scholarship Program. Sponsor colleges and universities include 74 private and 72 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.